There is a great advantage in working with stakeholders the right way.
Have you reached that level yet?
At one of my previous companies, we had severe problems aligning with stakeholders, and often had painful arguments about product development priorities.
There was no trust in our prioritization, and stakeholders would argue, “This isn’t what the company needs, it’s just what product and tech want” — a tough accusation if you invest all your energy in moving the company forward.
We came up with what seemed like the most logical solution: we would justify our prioritization with business case calculations, like x% improved conversion rate leads to y% more leads and results in z% more sales.
I still remember the first feedback I got from our stakeholders after presenting the new prioritization: “You just calculated the numbers in a way that justifies your prioritization. It’s still not aligned with the company’s needs.”
I was frustrated to the core. All that effort, all the calculations, all the digging for the right KPIs—and still no alignment, no trust!
Later that day, it dawned on me: maybe the problem wasn’t with the logic of our explanation. Maybe the problem was that our stakeholders didn’t feel included.
Next time, we didn’t present priorities. Instead, we started by explaining the project and asking our stakeholders for their value and priority estimates.
We did this for multiple projects, discussed the pros and cons from different perspectives, and factored in the opinions of sales, marketing, and customer support.
When we presented the new prioritization, I noticed two key changes:
a) It wasn’t me arguing the priorities anymore—it was the stakeholders.
b) We finished the monthly alignment meeting in half the time.
Follow this golden rule when working with stakeholders:
You shouldn’t convince your stakeholders.
Include your stakeholders in your decision-making process.
Do you also struggle with working with stakeholders?
Contact me and lets discuss your specific situation.
